The Freak and the Sun
by Beliel
Summary: A short interaction between Fujin and Seifer - A 'how they met' fic.


"Freak."

The girl hesitated, kept herself from flinching reflexively, didn't look up to see who taunted her. Making eye contact only encouraged them, she'd found from experience.

"Lookit the weirdo, thinks she's too good for us."

"Nah, she's just ashamed. With a face like that, who can blame her?"

They laughed. The girl set her tray down, gingerly sitting in the plastic cafeteria seat, the table as far in the corner as she could get. But the others had followed her, commenting all the way.

"Think she's deaf, or just stupid?"

"Well, she's an albino... She could be both! I mean, freak of nature man..."

"They should put her on exhibit at the carnival."

"She's not /that/ interesting."

"I wanna see her eyes, think they're really red?"

The girl tensed seconds before she felt the hands on the back of her chair. She kept her head down as the person behind her turned her chair to the other spectators. One, she didn't know who, she didn't care, grabbed her chin, jerked her head up, and she blinked at the group of them, perfectly expressionless. Their taunts stung in a distant way, but she couldn't find it in herself to be more then vaguely ashamed at the looks on their faces when they saw her eyes. Horror. Fascination. More twisted reactions were what she saw when she looked at them, before the first one let go of her and she looked down again.

"Sick."

"Whoa! She looks like a demon!"

"What are you talking about? A demon's got more personality."

She started to turn her chair, to go about the business of eating, they'd give up and go away, like everyone else, if she just ignored them. But the leader placed a hand on her chair again, halting her movements.

"Who said you could turn away from us, freak? We're not done."

She started a little, disquieted. Most people weren't this persistent, and those who were, were never at all pleasant.

"Hey." A new voice, and the strangers' hand hurriedly left her seat.

"What are you punks doing, bothering a lady?"

"H-hey, Almasy... No trouble here, we was just talkin' to her is all..."

"Yeah! We didn't do anything!"

"Sure you were... I just bet." The newcomer didn't sound pleased, and the girl actually found herself looking up, staring at the person who'd interrupted the small group that had gathered around her.

The newcomer was male, tan, with short blond hair and an arrogant bearing. He wore a silver nametag around his neck, and a white trench coat with an odd symbol, a red cross, on the sleeves. And the others were staring at him in no small bit of fear.

"We'll just... Be moving along, shall we?" the leader of her tormentors was edging away, but the stranger, Almasy, stopped him, grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"You do that. And you know what? You leave this girl alone. I see you 'talking' to her again, and I'll shove my gunblade so far up your ass you'll need surgery to remove it." The blond smiled, a feral expression, and looked at the other young men, directing the threat to them all. He let go of his prey, gave him a shove to send him on his way, and watched as the group made haste to depart.

The girl simply sat and watched.

"Dirty thugs." Almasy turned around to look at the albino, he grinned at her, as if sharing an amusing joke, and took the seat opposite her, without asking. He acted like he owned the world, and the girl couldn't help a slight smile in response to his reckless grin.

"My name's Seifer. I'm what you might call Balamb Garden's dashing knight." The words were said in a slightly wry way, half joking, but also half serious.

"... FUJIN." The girl said after a moment, looking down. Her words were a little too loud, too abrupt. A speech impediment, totally mental, her doctor assured her, as if it were some sort of consolation to know that she was that messed up in the head. She waited for Seifer to laugh, and looked up when he didn't.

He was leaned back in his chair, comfortable, relaxed, and watching her. "Nice ta meet you Fujin. New here?"

"AFFIRMATIVE." She was curious now, he didn't seem to mind her looks, or her speech, it... Was different.

"Can you fight? Or are you training for something else?"

"COMBAT." Fujin affirmed, head tilting a little to the side.

"Great! Welcome to the Disciplinary Committee, Fu! You can be my second in command." Seifer's grin was wide, the look in his eyes both friendly and wild. "It's just you and me; the committee enforces the Gardens rules on the student body. I've needed a second in command for a while now."

Fujin blinked, once.

"You will join, won't you Fu?" Seifer didn't seem to have any doubts about it, so Fujin could not fathom why he asked. For the formality, she supposed.

"AFFIRMATIVE."

"Great! Finish lunch, then we'll go find some students breaking rules, and go break the rules over their heads." He relaxed back in his seat, and Fujin nodded, watching the young man out of the corners of her eyes as she ate.

He was like the sun, intense and bright and fiery. And she could practically feel a small bit of the ice around her heart melt in his presence, she could feel her soul uncoil a little, and she braved another smile at him. Not a large one, or one that lasted long, but it was worth it to see his answering expression.

She finished her lunch silently, listening to the strange man who called himself Seifer Almasy explain the rules of the Garden and the Disciplinary Committee to her, and found herself relaxing for the first time in her life.

Hey... Sorry this is so badly written. Just thought it'd be an interesting explanation of how Seifer and Fujin met. Obviously Fu hasn't lost her eye yet by now. I don't make it clear, but they're about 14 or 15 years old in this fic.


End file.
